The Hidden Connection
by GoatBambi
Summary: All ever Oakkit ever wanted was to be a loyal warrior, but what will happen when her sister is chosen to be medicine cat apprentice and mysteriously disappears. Oakkit is then chosen to be medicine cat apprentice in the hurry after her sister's disappearance. Her and her brothers find out that their sister was not taken, but no one believes them. What will they do?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The shining light of the moon lay gently on the wind-stripped moor as the bone-chilling wind swept across the ground. A small puddle reflected the millions of stars in the sky. They burned brighter then they ever had. One of the stars began to glow brighter and brighter until it looked like as if it was the sun. The bright blaze of white fell down towards the pool. It was beautiful. A moment later, the white light hit the ground. The light slowly faded, and a pure white cat with bright, sapphire blue eyes was standing there. The cat took a step towards the puddle and watched it curiously as if it held the meaning of life. Three more stars fell from the heavens. these ones were dimmer and less extravagant. One cat was black and white with dark brown eyes. The others were a ginger cat with yellow eyes and a beautiful light gray tortoiseshell.

"It is time," the first cat said in a grave voice.

"No, it can't be. It is too soon," the black and white cat whispered hoarsely.

The two other cats glanced worriedly at each other. The orange cat meowed, "We must believe, for fate is set out for us."

"That is very wise, but remember that we choose the road we follow, Sparkstar," the white cat replied. She flicked her tail hesitantly for the other cats to come and surround the puddle. "It is time for a reading, but this one only concerns our Clan." She glanced slightly doubtfully at the other cats. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," the other cats chimed in unison. They all padded toward the puddle and surrounded it.

They looked into the depths of the pool. Surprisingly, the puddle was quite a bit deep. It would reach a full grown cat's belly fur, but it was very foggy and dirty. You could not see the bottom of the small puddle.

"We shall begin the reading," whispered the white cat. All of the cats turned and gazed into the pool. Their surroundings slowly morphed until they were standing in a huge clearing lined with massive oaks. The ground was covered with moist moss, and a smell of musty swamps hung nearby. The air was warmer, too. The wind was broken by all of the trees. The puddle became larger, and it was clear. The cats could easily see the bottom of the deep pool unlike the dirty puddle from earlier. The moonshine reflected off of the pool, lighting up the clearing and all of the cats within it. The night was silent except for the crickets and owls that haunted the night.

"Don't be nervous," the gray tortoiseshell cat whispered. "There have been many readings before this." She had whispered it more to comfort herself than to comfort the other cats.

The white cat meowed confidently, "Shall I go first?"

The black and white cat replied, "Yes, you should, Moonstar."

"Very well," Moonstar replied in a sturdy yet scared voice. She dipped her nose into the pool and kept it there. The moonlight shifted on the surface of the pool, and it slowly came together and formed a shape. The shape was a hill. The moonlight changed into a dark yellow that covered the landscape. Moonstar collapsed onto her side, struggling for breath. The moonlight was beginning to disperse. The black and white cat pondered her with concern before shoving his nose into the darkening water. The shape flickered back into view and four masses were struggling up the hillside. They slowly climbed to the top. When they reached the crest of the hill, the black and white cat stumbled backwards gasping for a breath of the cool night air.

"You," the black and white cat meowed hoarsely flicking his tail at Sparkstar. Moonstar pushed herself up and looked back into the pool. Sparkstar stuck his nose in more gently than the cat before him but less gently than the first cat. The image shifted and changed, and the moonlight reverted back to its eerie glow. Quickly, A silver light seemed to grow within the pool until it was brighter than the moon but instantly vanished. Sparkstar wearily pulled his nose out of the water. He stood his ground, and his breath was more even than the others breathing had been. The black and white cat glared at Sparkstar with the annoyance of the cat not giving all of his effort_. _Sparkstar didn't notice and kept on watching the pool unhappily.

The gray tortoiseshell dipped her nose gracefully into the pool and reluctantly closed her eyes. No light came back to light up the pool, instead a shadowy pine tree seemed to grow within the pool. The trunk only split into three branches. They began to trembled and a loud cracking split the sacred silence in the clearing. The branches had fallen to the ground, and they were no longer visible. The quivering truck seemed to tumbled down and down. The cats all began to feel like they were falling with the trunk. Finally, the tortoiseshell collapsed in front of the darkening pool. Her nose hung in the water, and her head had lolled onto one shoulder. The light began to fill the clearing, bouncing off of the pool. the light had revealed that the tortoiseshell's eyes were closed.

The white cat, who was on the unconscious cat's right, grabbed her scruff hastily and brought her farther up the bank. She laid her down on the soft moss and peered at the other cats out of the corner of her eye. "She will be okay." Realizing that the toms were slightly confused and worried, she explained, "Oh, you know Dewmist. She gives readings everything she has." Noticing their expressions hadn't changed, she added, "I know she hasn't been knocked unconscious before but this was for her Clan and her Clan only. Of course she would try extra hard to help."

Sparkstar finally replied, "I wish we could help her, but we can't. Staying here won't help, so I think you should go home and see what you can do."

Moonstar nodded obediently, and padded over to the black and white cat. "I will miss you," she whispered into his ear.

"I know. I will miss you too." He gave her a caring lick on her shoulder before continuing, "I love you and I always will, but I want to see you happy. It is okay if you move on. I will meet you again one day."

Moonstar took a step back and glared at him hatefully, but her eyes quickly softened. "Badgerpatch, I will never forget you. You are my one true love."

Badgerparch shook his head. "You must go now. I hope to see you soon, but remember you have four lives left. Don't live them without love." He touched his tail tip other shoulder, and they walked side by side up to the other cats.

"We must be going now," sighed Moonstar. "Goodbye." She lifted a paw and touched it lightly to Dewmist's shoulder and closed her eyes. Strands of smoke and light seemed to weave themselves together into a tornado around the two she-cats. A loud roar erupted around the churning, writhing mass. The toms stood their ground and flattened their ears against their heads. A wind buffeted them as it sprang from the tornado. Suddenly, everything turned still, and the smoke engulfed the light and everything else. Both toms' pelts began to glow with starlight, and thousands of other cats with shining pelts slowly appeared through the thick fog of the night sky.

Hundred of miles below the shinning stars in Silverpelt, Moonstar had just blinked her eyes open in the exact same hollow she had just been in except this time there were only two cats. Dewmist sat on her left. She was grooming her chest fur in long smooth licks. "It was so vivid," she meowed hoarsely at last. "I was sitting right in front of the tree as it fell." She let a shudder run down her spine. "It was so realistic. The terror was too real." She got to her paws, and shifted uncomfortably back and forth. "I know part of it." She looked down at her paws, and tried to go on. "One of them is..." She trailed off not wanting to say anymore.

"Tell me what you think," meowed Moonstar crossly. "We need to figure it out." Seeing the scared expression on her friend's face she went on, "I know it was," she paused looking for the right word, " traumatic. Why don't we discuss this at camp?"

Dewmist shook her head sadly, "It is Silverpool."

"What is?" Moonstar questioned cocking her head to one side. "She is pregnant and can't do any warrior duties, so how can she be part of this?"

Dewmist shrugged before continuing, "I truly have no idea, but I know it has something to do with Silverpool."

Moonstar looked curiously at her, and she thought with furious concentration. Her eyes widened as realization dawned on her. "Oh no," she gasped horrified "We need to get back immediately." She jumped to her paws and raced out of the clearing with Dewmist hard on her paws.

* * *

**Thank you for your help and taking the time to read it, Lilypool**. **I changed Wintermist to Dewmist.**


	2. Preview

**Chapter One - Preview**

The tiny tabby pushed herself gently against the warm, gray cat's heaving side. She could hear her sister annoyingly mewling for warm milk. She flattened her ears against her head so the irritating sound would be fainter. Finally, she felt the grayish-black cat on her right, roughly kick the mewling kit. The whining kit shut her mouth with a snap and opened her eyes. Her fear shown clearly through her intense blue eyes.

"Be quiet," the grayish-black kit cried.

The small kit complained sadly, "But...but I am hungry."

The gray cat lifted her head wearily off of her paws and groaned, "Be nice to your sister, Shadowkit. If she's hungry, she's hungry." She swiveled her head around to look at the whining kit. "You aren't really hungry are you, Mistkit?" she asked hopefully.

Mistkit solemnly nodded her head. "I am mother. I am really hungry." She exaggerated the word hungry as if she hadn't eaten in days.

Shadowkit complained eerily, "Mother won't suckle you anymore. You can eat fresh kill."

Mistkit slowly nodded in agreement, but then she began to quickly shake her head. The tabby had taken a deep breath with her pink kitten nose sticking up straight into the air, and while doing so, she had smelled a very familiar scent. She licked her lips hungrily and groggily pushed herself to her small paws. A tabby tom had padded into the small dark bush of ferns. His shoulders were broad and muscular; unlike their mother who was thin and wiry.

"How are my favorite kits?" he questioned happily while nuzzling the kit to the tabby kit's left. The other kitten was also a tabby. He pulled his head off of his paws and blinked at the bigger cat in front of him.

"Hello, daddy," the other tabby meowed politely. "How are you? Did you just do dawn patrol?"

The gray cat scolded unhappily, "Don't ask your father all of those questions, Falconkit. If he did just get back," she gazed lovingly at the handsome tom, "then he needs his rest."

He turned his gaze to the she-cat. "Oh, it's fine, Silverpool. It's only a question" Turning back to the kit he added, "No. I just got up and wanted to see you little rascals." He licked the kit's fur the wrong way, but then the Silverpool smoothed it back down quickly. She glared at him for a moment, but her gaze quickly softened. "The border patrol left a while ago, and the hunting patrol just came back."

Shadowkit leapt to his paws with the tabbies' following close behind. They began to race out the entrance of the bush, and the tiny tabby was about to rush out behind the others when their mother called, "Oakkit, get some fresh kill for Mistkit, won't you?" The kit nodded her head quickly then followed behind the others.

The sunlight shown brightly, and Oakkit staggered backwards blinking. After a moment's hesitation, she raced for the fresh kill pile. It was smaller than it usually was, but then she saw Streampaw, laden with a fat mouse, two chubby squirrels, and a normal sized vole. Oakkit bounded over to the apprentice and meowed hurriedly, "Can I take that," she paused a moment to decide what animal would be best, "squirrel?" She flicked her tail to the squirrel that was falling out of the apprentice's mouse. The apprentice nodded quickly which dislodged the squirrel that Oakkit wanted. It flew about a fox-length up into the air and landed on Oakkit. "Ooof!"she screeched before dramatically wiggling out from under the fresh-kill and picking it up into her jaws. "Thwancks," she mumbled through her mouthful.

The kit bounded sloppily towards the nursery. She slowed down as she entered the nursery because the thick ferns let almost no sunlight in. The darkness would blind Oakkit for a second, and she would run into a wall. Last time that had happened, Shadowkit had laughed all sunhigh. Once she could see she glanced around at her familiar surroundings. The fern walls were low-hanging, and the ground was strewn with moss. A gentle waft of warm milk hung in the air, and the sound of soft ruffling would linger in the room if young kits were occupying the smallish space. Her two brothers were ripping a part a thin rabbit, and her mother was wrapped around her tiny sister next to the left wall of the nursery. In the far corner, a ruffled ginger queen was lying down. Large stomach was heaving up and down slowly with effort. The medicine cat, Dewmist who was a gray tortoiseshell she-cat, had predicted that the pregnant cat, Lilystream, would have her kits.

Her mother waved her tail lazily for Oakkit to come over. The kit nodded obediently and stumbled over. She dropped the plump squirrel in front of her sister. "Would you like the first bite?" she asked quietly.

Mistkit, who looked exactly like her mother, replied shyly, "Are we going to share?"

Oakkit nodded then hastily added as soon as she realized her sister was opening her moth, "Yes, you may have the first bite."

Mistkit hungrily gulped down half of the rabbit. She then looked at Oakkit slightly embarrassed. "Sorry," she mumbled. "You want some?" She pushed the half-eaten squirrel towards her sister with her tail.

"Thanks," Oakkit meowed politely she quickly gulped down the rest of the squirrel hungrily. She glanced over at her brothers. They had finished their prey long ago and were heading out of the nursery. Oakkit jumped hurriedly to her paws and followed behind them eagerly. She flicked her tail to her sister to say that she should come with them.

Ever since they had been born, a guard had been posted outside the nursery. Right now, Creekwhisper, a thin, wiry light brown Tom, was posted outside the entrance. He was grooming his chest fur lazily, but his ears perked up when he saw the playful kits.

"What have you rascals been up to?" he meowed intently in his deep voice.

Shadowkit blurted out haughtily, "You weren't here when we went and got our fresh kill. Why weren't you at your post?"

Creekswhisper, who was used to Shadowkit's rudeness replied slightly amused, "We just switched guards. Lilacdust just came up to me and tole me that it was my turn to sit in the hot sun and watch you kits." He pretended to snarl unhappily. "I got stuck with you."

Just then, Mistkit stumbled out of the nursery. Her eyes lit up in embarrassment as she realized she had just interrupted a conversation. "Sorry," she murmured fearfully.

Creekwhisper gazed sadly at Mistkit, but said in a kind voice that hid his sadness, "That's alright, Mistkit. No harm done. It doesn't even really matter."

Mistkit nodded her head slightly and began to pad over to the medicine cat's den. The clearing was large, and the sun was just beginning to peer over the treetops making the ground shine as the light bounced off of the few that clung to the grass. The entrance was on the right side of the clearing from her. A small stream trickled in over the rocks that made one of the walls of the camp. It abruptly stopped right next to the medicine cat's den, which was straight across from the kits, and the where the fresh kill pile was always placed. All of the other walls of the clearing were made from thickly woven brambles, but the entrance was made of soft ferns just like the nursery. The elder's den was next to the medicine den and had a layer of bush as an entrance. The warrior's den was next to the elder's den, and it was made of bracken. The apprentice's den was on the right of the nursery. Finally, the rock wall had steps that sloped upwards to a ledge and a small cave under it where the leader slept.

Shadowkit glared at Mistkit in annoyance, but Falconkit noticed his brother's glare and added to what Creekwhisper had said, "It is absolutely fine. You didn't have to say you're sorry. Right, Shadowkit?"

Shadowkit nodded miserably. Mistkit hadn't heard the end of their conversation and had disappeared behind the wall to the medicine cat's den.

A white gleam of fur on the top of the ledge drew all of the kits attention. Falconkit waved his tail in greeting at the white cat.

The other cat instantly noticed him and turned towards all of the kits. "Hello, Falconkit," she replied happily. She waved her tail in greeting as she padded gracefully over to them.

"Hi, Moonstar," Shadowkit and Oakkit added in a monotone unison. "How are you today?"

Moonstar smiled happily, but the slightest sign of regret shown in her eyes, unnoticed by the kits, "I am great. How are you all?"

"We're as good as we can be," shrugged Falconkit.

Shadowkit whined ungratefully, "When are we going to be made apprentices? We are going to be six moons Tomorrow. "

Moonstar shook her head unhappily, but Creekwhisper added in fearfully, his muscles tensing, "You shouldn't talk to your leader like that."

Moonstar dipped her head in thanks to Creekwhisper. "It's fine. They're eager. That's all," she sighed. Creekwhisper's muscles visibly relaxed.

"I best be off," she told the kits, "but first I must answer your question." She paused to think. "You will be made apprentices in one or two sunrises, alright?"

The kits nodded, and Moonstar left. They waved their tails Ina quick farewell, and began to play their games.


End file.
